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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · field · fork · bass · ball · leaves · face · track

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bass — low music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bass — the fish
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. track — to keep track
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. face — to point toward
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. field — for sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — a line
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a path
  23. field — farmland
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com